FAQ

Q: Do you require a deposit? A: All projects require a 75% deposit to get things underway.

Q: What is the turnaround time on a CD order?

A: Typical turn time on a long run CD/DVD order is 14-18 business days. Short run orders range from 7-12 business days depending on order specifics. We do offer rush services at an additional cost.

The turn time begins after artwork proof approval.

Most CD orders that we receive involve critical time schedules. The most common problem in delaying your project happens when the artwork you provide does not meet the template specifications. Our Template Page and the Printing FAQ (pdf) will detail these graphic specifications and guide you through the process. Please take the time to read this information before you submit your artwork.

Q: Do you ship orders internationally?

A: Yes. Any orders outside of the continental US will require approval of shipping costs before production will start.

Q: Can you ship our finished product to different locations? A: Absolutely! We can split up your order at no additional cost.

Q: Can we send you our audio files digitally? A: We accept electronic masters in the form of DDP images only. However, for a fee we can make a master in house for you from 16bit .wav files.

Q: Do I need to have my Audio CD mastered? A: We always recommend that you take your CD to be professionally mastered in order to get the most balanced, professional sounding final product.

Q: Do I need to keep a copy of my master and art files? A: Yes, it is always a good idea to have several back-up copies of your master and art files just in case. We typically store masters at the plant for up to 2 years; however, we will not be responsible for archiving your master or art files.

Q: Will I get my master back? A: No, not unless you specifically request that they are returned.

Q: Does Cravedog offer a guarantee on its services? A: Absolutely. We stand behind our products and will replace them if we are in error. We want you to be satisfied with your order and we will do everything possible to make you happy.

Q: What do you mean by CMYK & Spot Color? A: Most color printing is done with CMYK process inks. CMYK stands for Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black. These four colors are mixed together by small dots on a press to achieve a wide (however, somewhat limited) range of color. This is why they call this type of printing 'four-color process'.

Typically, most of your disc packaging (excluding the disk-face itself) is printed using CMYK color. Your disk-face is often printed using Spot colors. Unlike CMYK which blends color together through fine dots, Spot colors are pre-mixed inks. For example, let's take the color green. In four-color process, you would mix Cyan and Yellow together to achieve green. As a spot color, green is just one ink. It has been mixed together in a factory somewhere and is ready to go. While spot colors allow for a wider range of color possibility, CMYK colors are limited in color possibility. You will want to keep this in mind when choosing your colors for your project. It is helpful to have a "Pantone Solid to Process" swatch book. This will show you many different spot colors and their respective CMYK equivalents.

If you are intending on having your CD face color match colors to other areas of your packaging, you will want to choose a Pantone (spot) color with a close CMYK equivalent.

Q: I need some additional help creating the design for my project. Can you help? A: Yes, we have graphics designers on staff that will work with you to help you achieve the custom artwork that you desire at an affordable price.

Q: What is an Over/Under Policy that I've seen on other sites? Does Cravedog have one? A: Manufacturing plants require a 10% over/under run allowance. This is primarily to allow for the pulling of any product found to have defects, before shipping.

Our policy is you are billed for the exact quantity shipped, not to exceed 10% over or under the quantity ordered.

Q: Do I need 2-Step plating or 3-step plating?

A: Depends on how big is your pressing project is.

2- Step is best for smaller to mid size runs- up to about 6,000 records

3-Step is best for very large runs- up to 25,000 records

1 set of stampers = 1,000 records

*Stampers most definitely wear out due to repeated pressing (scratched, split, worn down, etc). A set of stampers can press about 1000 regular weight records, 500 180g records.

Q: How do I evaluate a test pressing?

A: Our plant has a rigorous Quality Control process for checking test pressings. It doesn’t happen often but you may catch something that we didn’t or just have a question. If you got a Reference Acetate from the person that cut my master lacquer, you can compare the test and the acetate. They should sound similar, with the finished record having slightly more surface noise and vinyl “character” than the acetate.

If you don’t have a Reference Acetate, you can compare the test press to your master music file.

Consider the format differences as you listen. Vinyl is inherently noisier than digital. You’ll often notice somewhat smoother high frequency content on vinyl than on digital. This is all part of the sound of a record.

As the length of your side goes up the volume goes down. Grooves that are louder are physically thicker than quieter thinner grooves. Therefore, if your side is longer- the grooves will have to be cut thinner and subsequently quieter in order to fit it all on the side.

CD’s can be over 70 minutes, but this is impossible for a 12” record- there is only so much physical space to etch the grooves.

Q: How much music or data can I put on CD and DVD orders? A: For RedBook CD-Audio, we can replicate CD's up to 79:45, with a customer's disclaimer over 77:02. The disclaimer would simply state that the customer is aware that the title is over Red Book Standards of 77:02 and may not play on some older CD players. Some of this space is used up for the gaps between audio tracks on the audio CDs or indexing information on the data CDs. To calculate the sum of your audio information, add the time of all the individual tracks together, 2 seconds at the beginning of the disc and 2 seconds between each of your tracks. A general rule of thumb is to allow about 10 to 15 MB of space for indexing. The maximum capacity of a DVD disk depends on the type.

Here is the breakdown:

Single Sided/Single Layer (DVD-5): 4.7 Gigabytes

Single Sided/Dual Layer (DVD-9): 8.5 Gigabytes

Double Sided/Single Layer (DVD-10): 9.4 Gigabytes

Double Sided/Dual Layer (DVD-18): 17 Gigabytes

It's always a good practice to leave about a 6% safety margin on your discs. So on a DVD-5 (or DVD-R) with 4.7 billion bytes, do your budgeting assuming you have 4.46 billion bytes

Q: What do DVD-5 and DVD-9 mean? A: These terms refer to single sided, double sided, single layer, and dual layer disks. The numbers represent, in round figures, the number of gigabytes the disk can hold. Using these terms is easier than using terms such as "Single Sided," etc.

Q: Do I need to have my CD or DVD master on any particular kind of disc? A: No, replication can begin with any CD-R, DVD-R or DDP file set for audio CD masters. We do recommend you take your information to a professional mastering facility if you are choosing to replicate your project. If you are burning the master CD-R or DVD-R yourself, we recommend that you use whatever disc verification or error checking features your particular software may have. Replication (as opposed to duplication) will reproduce the contents of your original CD or DVD bit-for-bit, so a simple rule of thumb is that the finished product will sound or look exactly as good as what you send us.